Railroads are typically constructed to include a pair of elongated, substantially parallel rails, which are coupled to a plurality of laterally extending ties. The ties are disposed on a ballast bed of hard particulate material such as gravel. Over time, normal wear and tear on the railroad requires maintenance so that the railroad can be repaired or replaced. For example, ballast may need to be tamped, or compressed, to ensure that the ties, and therefore the rails do not shift and are positioned correctly. Other maintenance operations may require that anchors are tightened or ties are replaced or repaired.
Track maintenance operations currently require an operator-controlled vehicle to perform such operations. For example, in tie maintenance operations, an operator visually identifies the ties to be worked, such as via paint markings on the ties. As such, human operators are needed to recognize the random pattern of ties that need to be worked. Once a tie to be worked has been identified, the operator actuates workheads associated with tie repair operations. Such workheads may include various workheads for use in rail repair operations, including spike pullers and anchor squeezers. Other track maintenance operations similarly require an operator to identify sections of track to be worked.
Operator-controlled vehicles for use in track maintenance operations are costly given the requirement of a human operator for each machine. Further, use of human operators in track maintenance operations carries attendant safety risks as it sometimes becomes necessary for the operator to disembark the rail vehicle during operations. Accordingly, devices and methods for reducing human operators needed for track maintenance operations are needed.